Still, the then 7-year-old boy kept his positive spirit. Only two days after his amputations, he said he was ready to get back to football, according to the video below. Soon after, he got his first set of prosthetic legs and completely relearned to walk. Running, however, was a different story.

It wasn’t long before he was introduced to carbon fiber running blades, according to Fox News. These are a lighter prosthetic, specially designed for running. He’s been on the field in blades since June after a generous donor gave him a set that he or she no longer needed. Each of the prosthetic runners costs between $5,000 and $10,000, Fox reported.

Above all else, the league had to ensure Deven’s blades would not be a danger to him or anyone else. To meet this requirement, his father, Dave Jackson, fashioned some padding and cleats for the blades, which take up to two hours to put on.

Deven’s former coach, Justin Henne, vouched for the boy’s work ethic on the field.

“He’s not looking at it as a hindrance,” he told The Patriot-News. “He knows he has to work harder than others, but he wants to do it.”

Tyler is a contributing editor with The Mighty. Previously he’s worked as a reporter for various publications on diverse topics such ​technology and entertainment. Most recently he was a member of the trending news team at The Huffington Post, where he tracked and wrote viral content. He graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2013 where he studied journalism and English. Tyler has a deep love for stand-up comedy, super heroes and cookies. Follow @TylerMcCarthy on Twitter or e-mail him at [email protected]